US20120286663A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20120286663A1
Application number: US13/354,389
Authority: US
Inventors: Voravit Puvanakijjakorn; Sean Lei; Arunava Dutta
Original assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc
Current assignee: Ledvance LLC
Priority date: 2011-05-12
Filing date: 2012-01-20
Publication date: 2012-11-15
Also published as: US8674605B2; CN103621179B; DE202012013599U1; DE112012002045T5; CN103621179A; WO2012154380A1

Abstract

A solid state light source driver circuit, system and method are provided. The driver circuit includes a rectifier circuit, an energy storage element coupled thereto, a current bleeder circuit coupled thereto, and a switch. The rectifier circuit receives AC input and provides unregulated DC voltage. The switch closes to couple some of the unregulated DC voltage to the energy storage element, and opens to transfer energy to drive the light source. A power factor controller circuit provides an output signal to control the switch. The current bleeder circuit provides supply voltage to the power factor controller circuit within a range and maintains a current flow associated with the AC input that exceeds a predetermined threshold. A constant off-time controller circuit provides a switching frequency control signal to the power factor controller circuit. An EMI filter reduces generated EMI noise.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/485,430, filed May 12, 2011, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to lighting, and more specifically, to driver circuits for solid state light source lamps.

BACKGROUND

The development of high-brightness solid state light sources, such as but not limited to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the like, has led to use of such devices in various lighting fixtures. In general, a solid state light source-based lamp operates in a fundamentally different way than an incandescent, or gas discharge lamp, and therefore may not be connectable to existing lighting fixtures designed for those lamp types. A driver circuit may be used, however, to allow use of an solid state light source-based lamp as a retro-fit for existing lighting fixtures.

The driver circuitry for an solid state light source-based lamp generally converts an alternating current (AC) input, such as a 120V/60 Hz line input or input from a dimmer switch, to a stable direct current (DC) voltage used for driving the solid state light source-based lamp. Such circuitry may incorporate a rectifier for receiving the AC input and a DC-DC converter circuit. The DC-DC converter circuit may receive an unregulated DC output from the rectifier and provide a stable, regulated DC output to the solid state light source-based lamp.

SUMMARY

Conventional techniques for driver circuitry that allows use of an solid state light source-based lamp as a retro-fit for existing lighting fixtures suffer from a variety of issues. One is the ability to fit the required driver circuitry in the limited space available within the form factor of the existing fixture. Existing lighting fixtures generally adhere to one of a number of standards with regard to bulb size, base size, method of attachment, etc. Some lighting fixtures, for example B10 and B11-type chandelier bulbs as well as other types of decorative lamps, provide a relatively small form factor within which the driver circuitry must fit. It can be difficult to fit a driver circuit in this space while meeting other design constraints such as high power factor, low total harmonic distortion and low electromagnetic interference.

A variety of DC-DC converter configurations are well-known. Certain types of known DC-DC converter configurations, such as buck converters, boost converters, buck-boost converters, etc., are generally categorized as switching regulators. These devices include a switch, e.g. a transistor, which is selectively operated to allow energy to be stored in an energy storage device, e.g. an inductor, and then transferred to one or more filter capacitors. The filter capacitor(s) provide a relatively smooth DC output voltage to the load and provide essentially continuous energy to the load between energy storage cycles.

One issue with switching regulator configurations is that they involve a pulsed current draw from the AC power source in a manner that results in less than optimum power factor (PF). The power factor of a system is defined as the ratio of the real power flowing to the load to the apparent power, and is a number between 0 and 1 (or expressed as a percentage, e.g. 0.5 PF=50% PF). Real power is the actual power drawn by the load. Apparent power is the product of the current and voltage applied to the load.

For systems with purely resistive loads, the voltage and current waveforms are in phase, changing polarity at the same instant in each cycle. Such systems have a power factor of 1.0, which is referred to as “unity power factor.” Where reactive loads are present, such as with loads including capacitors, inductors, or transformers, energy storage in the load results in a time difference between the current and voltage waveforms. This stored energy returns to the source and is not available to do work at the load. Systems with reactive loads often have less than unity power factor. A circuit with a low power factor will use higher currents to transfer a given quantity of real power than a circuit with a high power factor.

To provide improved power factor, some lamp driver circuit configurations are provided with a power factor controller circuit. The power factor controller circuit may be used, for example, as a controller for controlling operation of the transistor switch in a DC-DC converter configuration such as a fly back converter. In such a configuration, a power factor controller may monitor the rectified AC voltage, the current drawn by the load, and the output voltage to the load, and provide an output control signal to the transistor to switch current to the load having a waveform that substantially matches and is in phase with the rectified AC voltage.

Another issue with switching regulator configurations is that they may introduce harmonic distortion in the form of ripples on the voltage signal returned to the AC power source. These ripples occur at harmonics of the AC line frequency. When these ripples are fed back into the power line, some of the ripples, especially those at third order harmonics of the AC line frequency, may build up voltage levels on the neutral line of power-company-owned three-phase transformers and may damage power-company-owned equipment. Reducing total harmonic distortion (THD) is thus becoming increasingly important as solid state light source-based lamps become more widely used. Indeed, reducing THD and increasing power factor may be important in complying with stricter regulatory requirements such as a California state requirement that THD not exceed 20 percent.

Unfortunately, THD can be exacerbated in an solid state light source-based lamp including a dimmer control circuit. The dimming control circuit may receive line voltage, e.g. from a 120VAC/60 Hz source, and provide a modified output signal to the rectifier for the purpose of controlling the illumination level of the lamp. In one configuration, the dimming control circuit may be a circuit known as a “phase control” dimmer or a “phase-cut” dimmer. In a phase control dimmer, a fraction of the input voltage sine-wave is cut in each period of the waveform either at the leading or trailing edge of the waveform. During the cut-time interval or “dead time” when the voltage is cut, the output of the phase control dimmer may be substantially zero. The residual time interval where the voltage differs from zero is known as the “dimmer conduction time.” Both the dimmer conduction time and the dead time are variable, but the time period of the input voltage waveform is constant, e.g. 1/60 second in the United States. As used herein, the “dimmer setting” refers to the ratio of the dimmer conduction time to the time period of the input waveform. The dimmer setting of a phase control dimmer is controllable by a user. In one configuration, the dimmer setting may be varied from about 0.78 to about 0.25. During the dead time at the lowest dimmer setting of the dimmer, the supply voltage to the power factor controller circuit may diminish to a level below its nominal operating range. This may impact performance of the power factor controller circuit, and can lead to an increase in THD as well as reduced power factor.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a solid state light source driver circuit and system that converts AC input such as a 120V/60 Hz input into a current source for a solid state light source-based light source. The circuit may use a single integrated circuit power factor controller to control a switch that couples an unregulated DC voltage provided by a rectifier to an energy storage element such as an inductor. The switch is opened and closed at a frequency resulting in an input power factor that may be set very close to unity. The total harmonic distortion at the input may be very low, and any conducted EMI may be mitigated by the EMI filter components and magnetic shielding of the inductor. The circuit may be disposed on a circuit board, such as a PCB, that fits in a B10 or B1-type chandelier bulb or other type of decorative lamp. Audible noise, caused by vibration of capacitor components, may be reduced by removing portions of the solder mask layer of the PCB beneath those capacitor components. The circuit may thus provide a very high power factor, high efficiency and small size that will work with dimmer switches, including both forward phase and reverse phase dimmers, without flicker in the solid state light source.

In an embodiment, there is provided a driver circuit to drive a solid state light source. The driver circuit includes: a rectifier circuit configured to receive an AC input voltage and provide an unregulated DC voltage; an energy storage element coupled to the rectifier circuit; a switch, wherein the switch is configured to close so as to couple a portion of the unregulated DC voltage to the energy storage element, and wherein the switch is configured to open so as to transfer energy from the energy storage element to provide a DC output voltage to drive the solid state light source; a power factor controller circuit configured to provide an output signal to control the switch; a current bleeder circuit coupled to the rectifier circuit, the current bleeder circuit configured to provide a supply voltage to the power factor controller circuit within a nominal operating range and to maintain a current flow associated with the AC input voltage, wherein the current flow exceeds a predetermined threshold; a constant off-time controller circuit configured to provide a switching frequency control signal to the power factor controller circuit; and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter configured to reduce EMI noise generated by the driver circuit.

In yet another related embodiment, the energy storage element may be an inductor, and the inductor may be shielded with a ferrite material.

In another embodiment, there is provided a solid state light source lamp assembly. The solid state light source lamp assembly includes: a housing; a solid state light source disposed within the housing; and a driver disposed within the housing, the driver including: a rectifier circuit configured to receive an AC input voltage and provide an unregulated DC voltage; an energy storage element coupled to the rectifier circuit; a switch, wherein the switch is configured to close so as to couple a portion of the unregulated DC voltage to the energy storage element, and wherein the switch is configured to open so as to transfer energy from the energy storage element to provide a DC output voltage to drive the solid state light source; a power factor controller circuit configured to provide an output signal to control the switch; a current bleeder circuit coupled to the rectifier circuit, the current bleeder circuit configured to provide a supply voltage to the power factor controller circuit within a nominal operating range and to maintain a current flow associated with the AC input voltage, wherein the current flow exceeds a predetermined threshold; a constant off-time controller circuit configured to provide a switching frequency control signal to the power factor controller circuit; and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter configured to reduce EMI noise generated by the driver circuit.

In still another related embodiment, the energy storage element may be an inductor, and the inductor may be shielded with a ferrite material.

In another embodiment, there is provided a method of driving a solid state light source. The method includes: receiving an AC input signal; maintaining a current flow associated with the AC input signal, wherein the current flow exceeds a predetermined threshold; converting the AC input signal into a regulated DC output; controlling a power factor of the regulated DC output using a power factor controller circuit; filtering EMI generated by the converting; and coupling the regulated DC output to the solid state light source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages disclosed herein will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments disclosed herein, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram a system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a solid state light source driver circuit according to embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a solid state light source driver circuit according to embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a block flow diagram of a method according to embodiments disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The use of a buck converter topology eliminates the need for a flyback transformer, as would be used in a transformer-based switching regulator. This may further reduce the driver size. A solid state light source driver according to embodiments may also, or alternatively, include an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter to attenuate EMI conducted noise.

Turning now toFIG. 1, there is provided a simplified block diagram of asystem100 according to embodiments described herein. In general, thesystem100 includes a light emitting diode (LED)driver circuit102 for receiving an alternating current (AC) input AC_in, either directly or through a knowndimmer circuit104, and that provides a regulated direct current (DC) output DC_outfor driving an LED-basedlight source106. The LED-basedlight source106 may be configured to occupy a space, such as but not limited to the space occupied by a B10 or B11-type chandelier bulb (i.e., lamp) or other type of decorative lamp. The LED-basedlight source106 may include a single LED or multiple LEDs interconnected in series and/or parallel configurations. Although a single LED-basedlamp assembly110 is shown coupled to thedimmer circuit104, in some embodiments, multiple LED-basedlamp assemblies110 may be coupled to a singledimmer circuit104. In some embodiments, AC_inmay be a provided directly from, for example but not limited to, a 120VAC/60 Hz line source. It is to be understood, however, that a system according to embodiments described herein may operate from any type of AC source(s), such as a 220-240 VAC at 50-60 Hz.

In embodiments including thedimmer circuit104, thedimmer circuit104 may take any known dimmer circuit configuration, such as but not limited to a standard forward or reverse “phase control” or “phase cut” dimmer provided in a wall switch, the operation of which is well-known. As described above, in a phase control dimmer circuit configuration thedimmer circuit104 cuts a fraction of the input voltage sine-wave AC_inin each period of the waveform to provide an AC input to theLED driver circuit102 having an associated dimmer setting.

TheLED driver circuit102 may convert the AC input voltage AC_into a regulated DC output voltage DC_outwith a high power factor, low THD, high efficiency and small size. TheLED driver circuit102 and the LED-basedlight source106 may thus be provided within an LED-basedlamp assembly110 as described throughout. The LED-basedlamp assembly110 may provide a convenient retro-fit for existing lighting fixtures configured to energize lamps including non-LED based light sources, e.g. incandescent, fluorescent, and/or gas-discharge sources, and, in particular, lamps with a reduced form factor such as a B10 or B11-type chandelier bulb or other type of decorative lamp. An LED-basedlamp assembly110 as described throughout may be inserted directly into such a lighting fixture to operate on the AC input thereto, and may operate with a knowndimmer circuit104 including forward phase control and reverse phase control dimmer circuits. A lamp including an LED-basedlight source106 may provide long life and low power consumption compared to those including non-LED-based light sources.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that conceptually illustrates the functionality of anLED driver circuit102, as shown in block form inFIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 2, anLED driver circuit102 includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter202 (which may, in some embodiments, be absent), arectifier circuit204, acurrent bleeder circuit206, aswitch208 for coupling the output of therectifier circuit204 to anoutput stage210, avoltage sense circuit212, a constant off-time controller (COTC)circuit216, and a power factor controller (PFC)circuit214.

In general, the AC input voltage AC_inmay be coupled to theEMI filter202 or therectifier circuit204, either directly or through adimmer circuit104. TheEMI filter202 may be configured to reduce EMI noise and to dampen ringing associated with forward phase control dimmers such as triac-based dimmers. In some embodiments, component values of theEMI filter202 may be chosen to adjust the phase angle between the input voltage and the input current to achieve lower THD. In some embodiments, component values of theEMI filter202 may be chosen to reduce an EMI noise resonance peak, for example but not limited to in the range of 150 kHz to 700 kHz and/or substantially 150 kHz to 700 kHz.

Therectifier circuit204 is configured to rectify AC_into provide an unregulated DC input voltage DC_inthat follows instantaneous variations in the AC input voltage. A variety of rectifier circuit configurations are well-known in the art. In some embodiments, for example, therectifier circuit204 may include a known bridge rectifier. The output of therectifier circuit204 is coupled to theoutput stage210 through theswitch208 under the control of thePFC circuit214. Theswitch208 may be, but is not limited to being, a known transistor switch, as is commonly used in known switching regulator configurations. In general, theswitch208 controls whether theoutput stage210 is coupled to the output of therectifier circuit204. Theswitch208 therefore controls the amount of energy that is delivered to theoutput stage210, and the amount of energy may be adjusted by varying the on-time and off-time of theswitch208. Theoutput stage210 may include an energy storage element, such as but not limited to an inductor, that is charged by the energy coupled from theswitch208 and discharged through the LED-basedlight source106 to drive the light source. Theoutput stage210 may also include a capacitor to smooth the DC_outvoltage provided to the LED-basedlight source106.

ThePFC circuit214 may, and in some embodiments does, include a known power factor controller configured to provide an output to theswitch208 for controlling theswitch208 in response to a first signal representative of voltage from therectifier circuit204, a second signal representative of a desired constant off-time for the power factor controller, and a third signal representative of current flow through theswitch208. The output from the power factor controller controls theswitch208 so that the current to the LED-basedlight source106 has a waveform that substantially matches and is in phase with the output of therectifier circuit204, thereby providing high power factor and low THD.

Known LED controller integrated circuits (ICs) that may be used as power factor controllers in an LED driver configuration according to embodiments described throughout include known LED controller ICs such as but not limited to model number LM3445 controller presently available from National Semiconductor of Santa Clara, Calif. The LM3445 controller may, for example, be employed as a controller in a buck DC-DC converter implementation. Details of this and related alternative applications of the LM3445 controller are discussed in National Semiconductor's LM3445 data sheet, “LM3445 Triac Dimmable Offline LED Driver,” September 2010, which is available at http://www.national.com and is incorporated herein by reference.

In anLED driver circuit102 according to embodiments described throughout, thecurrent bleeder circuit206 is configured to maintain a current, drawn from the AC input, above a threshold value, to satisfy the current draw requirements of thedimmer circuit104. Dimmer circuits, such as a TRIAC dimmer, typically require a minimum current flow throughout the AC voltage waveform cycle. If the current flow drops below this minimum value, the dimmer may temporarily shut off, at least until the current increases, which may cause noticeable flicker of the LED basedlight source106. The current bleeder circuit may also provide a supply voltage to theCOTC circuit216 and thePFC circuit214 to maintain the supply voltage at a nominal operating range during the dead time at the lowest dimmer setting of thedimmer circuit104. This may avoid an adverse impact on the performance of theCOTC circuit216 and thePFC circuit214 that could lead to an increase in THD and a reduction of power factor. As used herein, use of the term “nominal” or “nominally” when referring to an amount means a designated or theoretical amount that may vary from the actual amount.

In theLED driver circuit102, thevoltage sense circuit212 senses the unregulated DC_involtage provided by therectifier circuit204 and generates a reference voltage, representative of the unregulated DC_involtage, which is provided to thePFC circuit214. The reference voltage may be used by thePFC circuit214 in a comparison with a sensed current through theswitch208 to control the level at which thePFC circuit214 switches theswitch208 to provide a current waveform to the LED-basedlight source106 that substantially matches and is in phase with the output of therectifier circuit204. This feature provides a high power factor driver with reduced THD.

TheCOTC circuit216 provides a constant off-time signal to thePFC circuit214, which enables thePFC circuit214 to operate at a fixed switching frequency with increased efficiency and reduced switching loss, which can result in reduced driver size while maintaining low THD and high power factor. ThePFC circuit214 has an on-time and an off-time. The on-time is the period of time when thePFC circuit214 causes theswitch208 to be “closed,” and thus coupling therectifier circuit204 to theoutput stage210. The off-time is the period of time when thePFC circuit214 causes theswitch208 to be “open,” and thus de-coupling therectifier circuit204 from theoutput stage210. The conversion ratio for a buck converter may be defined as: V_OUT/V_IN=on-time/(on-time+off-time). Thus, for a given conversion ratio V_OUT/V_INand a given fixed off-time, the on-time is set and the switching frequency, which may be defined as the reciprocal of the sum of the on-time and the off-time, is also fixed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of anLED driver circuit102abased on theLED driver circuit102 shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. TheLED driver circuit102aincludes an input voltagesurge protection circuit218, anEMI filter202, abridge rectifier circuit204, acurrent bleeder circuit206, aswitch208 for coupling the output of therectifier circuit204 to anoutput stage210, avoltage sense circuit212, aCOTC circuit216 and aPFC circuit214. ThePFC circuit214 includes an LM3445 LED controller IC U1, the operation of which is known and described in National Semiconductor's LM3445 data sheet, referred to above. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, that other known LED controllers may be used in place of the LM3445 controller shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 3.

In operation, the AC input to the circuit AC_inis coupled to therectifier circuit204 through thesurge protection circuit218 and theEMI filter202. Thesurge protection circuit218 includes a fuse F1 and a metal oxide varistor (MOV), which protect theLED driver circuit102afrom input voltage surges. TheEMI filter202 includes inductors L1 and L2, capacitors C2, C5 and C6, and resistors R17, R3, R6 and R5, arranged in a PI network topology. The resistor R17 limits peak and inrush current to thedriver circuit102a, which may allow an increased number ofLED driver circuits102ato be powered by a singledimmer circuit104 without damaging the singledimmer circuit104. The resistor R17 also forms part of the RC filter network that reduces EMI conducted noise. The component values of theEMI filter202 may be chosen to reduce an EMI noise resonance peak in the approximate range of 150 kHz to 700 kHz. TheEMI filter202 may enable theLED driver circuit102ato comply with FCC Part 15 Class B EMI limitation requirements.

Therectifier circuit204 includes a known bridge rectifier. Therectifier circuit204 rectifies the AC input to provide a rectified unregulated DC voltage DC_in. The output of the rectifier circuit DC_inis coupled to the inductor L3 and the capacitors C7 and C3 of theoutput stage210 through the diode D1, which acts to block reverse current flow and suppress voltage surges that may be created by theswitch208. The capacitor C1 provides additional EMI noise reduction along this coupling path.

The switch208 (also referred to in connection withFIG. 3 as the switch Q2) controls whether theoutput stage210 is coupled to the output of therectifier circuit204. When the gate drive of the switch Q2 is on, the switch Q2 is in a conducting state and current flows from therectifier circuit204 through theoutput stage210, providing power to the LED-basedlight source106 and energizing the inductor L3 that serves as an energy storage element. When the gate drive of the switch Q2 is off, the switch Q2 is in a non-conducting state and therectifier circuit204 is de-coupled from theoutput stage210. While in this non-conducting state, current flows from the discharging inductor L3 through the diode D3 to provide power to the LED-basedlight source106. The capacitors C3 and C7 reduce noise and ripple current to the LED-basedlight source106.

In some embodiments, the inductor L3 may be shielded to reduce magnetic field radiation and to reduce interaction between the inductor and a housing of the lamp/lamp assembly/lamp system, which may be metallic. The shielding may comprise a ferrite material with suitable characteristics for reducing radiated magnetic fields.

The gate drive for the switch Q2 is provided by the LED controller IC U1. In general, the LED controller IC U1 uses a voltage representative of the output of therectifier circuit204 DC_inas a reference to control the level at which the LED controller IC U1 switches the switch Q2 on and off using the gate drive output coupled to the gate of Q2 through R12. This feature allows a very high power factor driver. The switching frequency is determined in part by theCOTC circuit216, which is coupled to a COFF input of the LED controller IC U1, in combination with a representation of the LED driver circuit output current as sensed by the resistor R14 and coupled to an ISNS input of the LED controller IC U1.

In particular, a portion of the DC_involtage is coupled to a FLTR2 input of the LED controller IC U1 to provide a reference voltage to the LED controller IC U1 representative of the unregulated DC voltage DC_in. The FLTR2 input is coupled between the resistors R2 and R15. Selection of the values of the resistors R2 and R15 allows for a tradeoff between ripple and power factor correction in the output voltage DC_outestablished by the LED controller IC U1. The LED controller IC U1 compares this reference voltage to the voltage representative of the current sense at the ISNS input, and when the two are substantially equal the LED controller IC U1 turns off the gate drive to the switch Q2 for the constant off time as determined by theCOTC circuit216. Thus, the LED controller IC U1 functions as a power factor controller and provides a current waveform to the LED-basedlight source106 that substantially matches and is in phase with the output of therectifier circuit204 to provide a driver with increased power factor and reduced THD.

Supply voltage is supplied to a supply voltage input Vcc of the LED controller IC U1 through thecurrent bleeder circuit206. This configuration may ensure that the supply voltage is maintained at a nominal operating range, including through the duration of the dead time associated with the lowest dimmer setting of thedimmer circuit104, since thebleeder circuit206 maintains a current draw from the AC input above a threshold value to satisfy the current requirements of thedimmer circuit104. Thebleeder circuit206 includes a resistor R1, a zener diode D7, and a transistor Q1 in a series pass regulator configuration, which translates the unregulated DC voltage DC_into a level that can be sensed by the LED controller IC U1 at a BLDR input. The resistor R8 bleeds charge from any stray capacitance that may be present in the circuit and provides the current path for the threshold current draw requirement associated with thedimmer circuit104. The diode capacitor network D8 and C4 maintain the LED controller IC U1 supply voltage Vcc at a nominal operating level when the voltage at the BLDR input decreases.

In anLED driver circuit102 as described herein, the circuit components may be disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB) in a manner that allows the PCB to be deployed in a lighting fixture of reduced size, such as but not limited to a B10 or B11 type chandelier bulb or other type of decorative lamp. A B10 or B11-type chandelier bulb may include a generally circular housing having a nominal diameter of 1.25 inches and 1.375 inches, respectively, at the widest point. The PCB may therefore have a diameter of less than 1.25 inches to fit within the housing.

In some embodiments, the components may be positioned such that theEMI filter202 and theoutput stage210 are physically separated by an increased distance to further reduce EMI emission. In some embodiments, the PCB may have a solder mask layer and portions of the solder mask beneath ceramic capacitors, such as the capacitors C1, C2 and C5 shown inFIG. 3, may be removed to reduce audible noise caused by vibration of the capacitors against the underlying solder mask. Alternatively, an entire section of the PCB beneath a capacitor may be removed.

Adriver circuit102 may be configured for operation with a variety of input voltages based on appropriate selection of various circuit components thereof. Table 1 below identifies one example of circuit components useful in configuring theLED driver circuit102aillustrated inFIG. 3 for operation with a 120V RMS/60 Hz AC input signal (resistor values in ohms):

	TABLE 1

	Component	Descriptor/Value

	ACin	120 VAC/60 Hz

	C1	68	nF
	C2	68	nF

C3

Open circuit

	C4	22	uF
	C5	68	nF

C6

Open circuit

C7	22	uF
C11	2.2	nF
C12	330	pF
C14	470	nF

	D1	200 V - 1 A
	D2	600 V - 0.5 A
	D3	200 V - 1 A

	D6	5.1	V
	D7	12	V

	D8	200 V - 0.25 A
	DCout	LED connection

F1	5	A
L1	5.6	mH
L2	5.6	mH
L3	1.0	mH
MOV	470	V

	Q1	240 V - 0.26 A
	Q2	600 V - 1 A
	Q4	40 V - 0.2 A
	R1	390K
	R2	620K
	R3	49.9
	R4	Open circuit
	R5	10K
	R6	10K
	R8	49.9K
	R9	100K
	R12	4.7
	R14	1.87
	R15	3.48K
	R16	215K
	R17	24.9
	R20	30.1K
	R22	40.2
	U1	LM3445

In some embodiments, thedriver circuit102ahas an input power of 3.17 Watts at an input voltage of 120 V (RMS), with an input current of 29.05 mA (RMS), a power factor of 0.91, an input current THD of 19.07%; an output voltage of 11.33 VDC, an output current of 201.68 mA DC, and an efficiency of 74.05%.

FIG. 4 is a block flow diagram of amethod400 for driving an LED-based light source. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that unless otherwise indicated herein, the particular sequence of steps described is illustrative only and may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, unless otherwise stated, the steps described below are unordered, meaning that, when possible, the steps may be performed in any convenient or desirable order.

First, an AC input signal is received,step401. Then, a current flow associated with the AC input signal is maintained,step402, wherein the current flow exceeds a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, a current flow associated with the AC input signal is maintained,step410, wherein the current flow exceeds a predetermined threshold based on a nominal operating current requirement of a dimmer circuit to reduce flicker of the solid state light source. The AC input signal is converted into a regulated DC output,step403. A power factor of the regulated DC output is controlled using a power factor controller circuit, step404. EMI generated by the converting is filtered,step405. The regulated DC output is coupled to the solid state light source,step406.

In some embodiments, when the AC input signal is converted into a regulated DC output,step403, a switch is operated to energize an inductor configured to be coupled to the solid state light source, step407, and when a power factor of the regulated DC output is controlled using a power factor controller circuit, step404, the switch is controlled,step408.

In some embodiments, when the AC input signal is converted into a regulated DC output,step403, a switch is operated to energize an inductor configured to be coupled to the solid state light source, wherein the inductor is shielded with a ferrite material, step409.

As used in any embodiment herein, “circuitry” may comprise, for example, singly or in any combination, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry, state machine circuitry, and/or firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry.

The term “coupled” as used herein refers to any connection, coupling, link or the like by which signals carried by one system element are imparted to the “coupled” element. Such “coupled” devices, or signals and devices, are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may be separated by intermediate components or devices that may manipulate or modify such signals. Likewise, the terms “connected” or “coupled” as used herein in regard to mechanical or physical connections or couplings is a relative term and does not require a direct physical connection.

Unless otherwise stated, use of the word “substantially” may be construed to include a precise relationship, condition, arrangement, orientation, and/or other characteristic, and deviations thereof as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, to the extent that such deviations do not materially affect the disclosed methods and systems.

Throughout the entirety of the present disclosure, use of the articles “a” and/or “an” and/or “the” to modify a noun may be understood to be used for convenience and to include one, or more than one, of the modified noun, unless otherwise specifically stated. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

Elements, components, modules, and/or parts thereof that are described and/or otherwise portrayed through the figures to communicate with, be associated with, and/or be based on, something else, may be understood to so communicate, be associated with, and or be based on in a direct and/or indirect manner, unless otherwise stipulated herein.

Although the methods and systems have been described relative to a specific embodiment thereof, they are not so limited. Obviously many modifications and variations may become apparent in light of the above teachings. Many additional changes in the details, materials, and arrangement of parts, herein described and illustrated, may be made by those skilled in the art.